Exhaust control



Oct. 10, 1939. 1 WOLF 2,175,368

EXHAUST CONTROL Filed Feb. 11, 1938 N3 IN I/HVTO /P 5 W/ 2/ aye/7e 0/Patented Oct. 10, 193

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE EXHAUST CONTROL Eugene G. Wolf, St. Louis,Mo., assignor to Landis Machine Company, St. Louis, Mo., a corporationof Missouri The invention relates to the control of exhaust pipes suchas are commonly used with machines having tools producing .dust or otherloose material, when operated, which it is desired to remove 5 fromaround the tools.

The invention is particularly applicable to such a machine which is usedintermittently and is connected to the same exhaust pipe as leads fromanother machine which may be run continuously.

10 The invention includes a device for opening and closing one or morebranch exhaust conduits leading from certain tools and preferably thisdevice is connected with shaft driving control mechanism whereby inletto the exhaust pipe 15 will be opened and closed simultaneously with thestarting and stopping of the machine.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing as applied to ashoe finisher machine common to shoe repair shops, but it will beunderstood this is an illustrative application of 'the invention and thesame may be used in connection with various other machines operatedunder similar conditions. In the drawing- Figure 1 is a front elevationof a section of a 25 shoe finishing machine.

' Figure 2 is a transverse vertical section taken substantially on theline 22 of Figure 1 and showing the machine parts in running position.

Figure 3 is a similar section but showing the 30 machine parts ininoperative position. 7

Journaled in the machine frame I are the driver shaft 2 and an operatingor tool shaft 3 which mounts a plurality of wheels 4 for sanding,buffing, grinding or trimming operations. At one end of the machine is acasing 5 which houses an exhaust fan suitably connected to the exteriorof the building or to a dust collector (not shown) and an exhaust pipe 6extends throughout the length of the machine and is connected to casing40 5'and subject to the exhaust produced by the fan therein. Anextension I of reduced diameter leads from the right hand end of pipe 6for connection to another machine of similar or different structurewhich utilizes an exhaust conduit. It

45 will be understood that the exhaust fan in casing 5 is connected todriver shaft 2 and operates continuously throughout certain periods,while the tools mounted on shaft 3 are operated intermittently,sometimes for only a few minutes or even 50 a part of a minute.

The operative connection between shafts 2 and 3 is eifected by a V belt8 passing over pulleys 9 and I0 fixed to, the respective shafts, and anidler pulley I I is mounted upon a pivoted device,

5 indicated generally by the reference numeral I2,

whereby pulley I I may be moved to tense belt 8 on pulleys 9 and III toeffect operation of shaft 3, as shown in Figure 2, or may be movedtotheinoperative position, indicated in Figure 3, in which the drivingshaft may rotate independently of the belt and operating shaft. Thisbelt control is described in Patent. No. 2,047,362, issued July 14, 1936to ErnestDunford, and in itself does not constitute the presentinvention.

An individual exhaust conduit I3 leads from 10 each of tools 4 to acorresponding inlet I4 in the side of the exhaust pipe 6. The inlets areprovided with doors or closure plates I5 located inside pipe 6. A rod Itextends substantially throughout the length of pipe 6 located near theuppermost part thereof, and is journaled in brackets I'I secured to theinner'face of the pipe. Each door includes, in addition to the fiatplate I5, marginal segments I8 stiffening the door plate and cooperatingwith the same to close the inlet.

Each door I5 is secured to rod I6 so that rota--- tion or oscillation ofthe rod. tends to swing the door towards the inlet to close the same, asshown in Figure 3, or awayv from the inlet towards the center of thepipe, as shown in Figure 2, to permit the passage of air throughconduits I3 into pipe '6.

A finger I9 is secured to at least one door I5 (and preferably, but notnecessarily, to each door). Each finger I9 extends through a restrictedopening 20 in wall of pipe 6 adjacent to rod I6 and terminates in anupwardly extending cam-like element 2 I. s

The belt tightening device includes a manually actuated handle 22pivoted to the frame at 23 and having a downwardly projecting lug 24having a pin and slot connection to an arm 34, also pivoted at 23. Alink 25 connects arm 34 to a crank 26 secured to a rod 2'! journaled onthe frame and extending substantially throughout 0; the length of pipe6, A plurality of cranks 28 depend from rod 21 and carry rollers 29 attheir outer ends disposed to engage cams 2I. The pin and slot connectionbetween lug 24 and arm 34 provides for adjusting the door mechanism toaccommodate the most effective position of the idler pulley.

When operating handle 22 is shifted from the belt tightening position,shown in Figure 2, to the belt slackening position, shown in Figure 3,elements 24, 34, 25, 2t, 28 and I9 swing all of the doors I5 against thecurrents of air passing through conduits I3 and close the inlets I4.This automatically cuts off the intake of air through the numerouslateral conduits I3 so that all of liq.v

the force of the exhaust fan draws air through pipes 1 and 6 from othermachinery (not shown).

When operating handle 22 is shifted from the position shown in Figure 3to the position shown in Figure 2 to tighten the belt and permit air topass through conduits l3 into pipe 6, doors [5 swing by the force ofgravity from the closed position to the open position and no thrust bythe operator is required to shift the doors to open the inlets into theexhaust pipe. When operating handle is shifted in the oppositedirection, the thrust of the belt against idler pulley ll works with theoperator and tends to overcome the force of gravity and the push of theair currents resisting the closing of the doors. When the operatinghandle and associated parts are in the position shown in Figure 2, forceapplied directto door I5 is transmitted into a thrust or pull along thestraight line Xwhich passes through both pivoted ends of lever 25 andpivot point 23 on the frame. Hence there is notendency to rotate lever22 or shift the idler pulley.

Similarly when the parts are in the position shown in Figure 3, anyforce applied direct to door I5 is transmitted into a thrust or pullalong the straight line Y which passes through the pivoted ends of crank28 and pivot point 21 on the frame. Hence there is no tendency to movelever 22 or shift the idler pulley. The linkage is substantially lockedor stabilized in either position and currents of air, etc., do notaffect the belt tightening device. But upon manual operation of thelever the linkage is easily shifted to actuate the linkage.

The only parts of the inlet opening and closing structure subject tofriction are the restricted portions comprising the bearings for rods16.. and, if necessary, these surfaces may be easily.

oiled.

I am aware that it has been .suggestedpreviously to close a number ofinlets into a similar exhaust pipe by means of doors slidingv along theinner wall of the exhaust pipe, but the structure described hereinavoids the likelihood of a number of elements, having extensiveinterengaging sliding surfaces, sticking to each other because of tootight assembly, rust, accumulation of dirt, or other causes.

The machine illustrated has one door closing the openings from the threeleft hand sanding wheels, another door for closing the openings from thetWo middle wheels, and another door for the single opening from theright hand wheel, but it will be understood that a single long doorcould be substituted for all the openings or that each opening could beprovided with an individual door. With the doors secured to rod 16, itis not essential that each door have finger l9 and associated linkagebut when these parts are present, the doors may pivot aboutrod -16 andthe latter may be stationary instead of being journaled as shown.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the 'art that other details ofthe structure may be varied substantially without departing from thespirit of the invention and I contemplate the exclusive use of all thosemodifications in parts and their assembly as come within the scope oftheclaims.

I claim:

1. In combination with a cylindrical exhaust pipe having an openingthrough its side wall, a door pivoted along one edge of said opening andhaving curved portions for fitting the curved wall of said pipe andadapted to swing towards and away from said opening, a tool mountingshaft, a driving shaft, a manually actuated device for connecting saidshafts, a finger on said door extending through the wall of said pipeand having a cam surface and pivoted to move with the door about thedoor pivot, a member connected to and moved by said device and engagingsaid cam surface to swing said door away from said opening when saiddevice is actuated to connect said shaft.

2. In combination with an exhaust pipe having a plurality of lateralopenings at spaced intervals, spaced doors for closing said openings,said doors being located within said pipe and each pivoted along theinner wall thereof to swing aboutan axis paralleling the pipe axistowards and away from said openings, a manually operable handle locatedexteriorly of said pipe, and a member extending along the outside ofsaid pipe andfconnected to all of said doors and operable by said handlefor manipulatingv the-.latter simultaneously.

3. In a shoe finisher assembly, afrarne, an

elongated shaft with a plurality of sanding wheels and like toolsmounted along said shaft,.an elon-- gated exhaust pipe paralleling saidshaft, individual conduits leading from each of said-tools.

to corresponding inlets in said 'pipe, a rodwithin said pipe andjournaled adjacentthe inner top thereof and extending abreast of all ofsaid .in lets, respective doors for said inlets eachsecured at its upperedge to said rod, a driving shaft,

respective pulleys on said shafts, a belt between said pulleys, a belttightening device including a manually operated handle,'and a connectionbetween said device and said rod for oscillating the latter when saidbelt is tightenedandslackenedto open .and close said doors respectively.

4. In a'structure of the class described, a .driving shaft, an operatingshaft, dust producing tools mounted on said latter-mentioned shaft, a.-belt forming a driving connection betweensaid shafts, means fortightening and slackening said.

belt including a shiftable handle, a dust exhaust air conduit leadingfrom said tools, a door hinged.

at one side of said conduit and movable about its hinge with or againstthe current offairt. through said conduit to open or close said.conduit,elements connecting said handle andisaid' door whereby shifting of saidhandlemoves said M door to open or close said conduit, saidelementsbeing constructed and arranged to resistmovement of said door from openor closedposition by.

air pressure on said door.

5. In a structure of the class described, an exhaust pipe, an openingin'the side wall thereof for conduits leading from a dust producingtool, a door for said openinghinged at one side thereof to swing towardsand away from said opening,

a manually operative handle having a pivot on the'structure, linkagehaving a stationary pivot on the structure and connected .to said handleand said door for moving the latter to and from a position in which itcloses. said opening, saidlinkage assuming a position when said door. is

closed in which the line of thrust between 'said lever having a pivot onframe, a dust producing tool mounted on said operatingshaft a dustexhaust conduit leading from said to'ol,"a

door for closing said conduit, a, member having a pivot on said framefor opening and closing said door, elements connecting said handle andmember whereby movement of said handle moves said door, said elementsbeing arranged sothat the line of thrust between said handle and door isthrough at least one of said pivots whether EUGENE G. WOLF.

